miscellaneous

Nuclear will not help the UK avoid a near-term capacity crunch warns the REA

Biomass plants take only three or four years to build and provide flexible power when we need it, says the Renewable Energy Association (REA)

In response to the UK government’s recent announcement of a strike price for EDF’s planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, the Renewable Energy Association (REA) has warned that the new nuclear plant at Hinkley will still be a construction site when old coal and nuclear capacity is shut down. However, the government could start to plug the energy gap straight away by supporting biomass.

“Biomass plants take only three or four years to build and provide flexible power when we need it” said REA Chief Executive Dr Nina Skorupska. “It is not too late to provide support for biomass in the EMR package, and we urge the Government to do so. In terms of the contracts, Government must explain why it is subsidising nuclear for 35 years compared to 15 years for renewables. This is not a level playing field.”

Responding to the ongoing debate over energy bill increases, Dr Skorupska added that the role of renewables subsidies is to help markets and technologies develop so that they can come down in price. She said that the government is right to ensure that the costs to customers of its green policies are as minimal as possible but that support for renewables is only 2 percent of the average bill, in return for which the UK gets green jobs, inward investment, innovation, world leading new industries, enhanced energy security and of course a liveable climate for the next generation.